Thanos has surrendered to Lord Mar-Vell, asking for Oblivion to release him from life. Mar-Vell obliges him, as he summons the Many-Angled Ones to restrain him and the Guardians while the Necropsy ritual is enacted.

As the ritual goes underway, the combined forces of Universe-616 try holding the line at the Fault. The Nova Corps, led by Quasar, valiantly do their best to assist, while in communication with Namorita, Worldmind and Major Victory on Knowhere. Just then, Major detects a sudden energy spike in the Cancerverse.

Back at the site of the Necropsy, Richard Rider arrives just in time to save the Guardians. But to fend off the Revengers, he asks Worldmind to give him every scrap of the Nova Force, even if it meant that he'd be depowering the Nova Corps and Quasar. As Rider continues his fight, Thanos remarks to Mar-Vell that he was far less noble than his counterpart. Mar-Vell sneers that his other self was a fool, to die when he should've lived. However, Mar-Vell discovers too late, that in bringing Thanos to the brink of Death, he has summon Death herself, who quickly kills him and the Revengers, as well as crippling the Many-Angled Ones, estimated to give them eons to recover. This causes the Cancerverse forces at the Fault to either fall back into it or be disintegrated.

Once the deed is done, Thanos pleads with Death to speak to him, to release him from life so that they could be together, but is ignored. Death walks away from him, with a tear in her eye. Seeing that Thanos is about to lose it, Rider and Star-Lord send the Guardians back home, planning on keeping Thanos in this universe before it collapses on itself. The Mad Titan has become enraged, blaming Star-Lord for this and vows that he will kill everything in their universe. The two heroes then charge, armed with both the Nova Force and the Cosmic Cube.

Three days later on Hala, the various cosmic heroes gather to honor those fallen. Quasar and Rocket Raccoon walk through the cemetery, where statues of Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, Drax, Star-Lord and Rider have been erected, as they lament what's been lost; the Nova Corps and Namorita are taking it hard at the loss of their Nova Prime, even if he survived in a universe that can't be revisited. Rocket can only lament why Star-Lord and Rider had to be such heroes.

Notes

No special notes.

Solicit Synopsis:

Nova, Star-Lord, the Guardians of the Galaxy and more make their valiant last stand in this, the end...of everything! The war against the abominable Cancerverse reaches its climax. Only Thanos can decide the fate of two universes—but what choice will he make? Star-Lord believes he can use The Mad Titan as a weapon, but when you’ve deployed a weapon that absolute, can you ever stop it again? The staggering and shocking finale to the cosmic event of the year comes here, in the book that Aint It Cool News calls “A great-looking, great-reading comic...in the best classic Marvel manner."